


The Aftermath

by moonpoolfire



Category: David Bowie (Musician), Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Man Who Fell to Earth - Walter Tevis
Genre: Angst, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-24 06:56:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14949768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonpoolfire/pseuds/moonpoolfire
Summary: What happened to the characters of TMWFTE after Thomas was set 'free'?I suck at summaries, sorry.





	1. Mary-Lou

“Darling?”  
It’s barely a question.  
“Yes?”  
It’s barely a response.  
“Rest.”  
Oil is dripping over closed eyelids, making her look sweaty.  
“Breathe.”  
It’s barely a demand.  
The woman leaves and ignores the screaming cries of anguish and betrayal.  
Justice.  
She ignores the tears welling up and dribbling down her face.  
She’s sick.  
It’s merely oil.  
The grimy dead skin hanging from her fingernails, stuffed and caked.  
It’s merely balm.  
  
“Are you alright?”  
A question not directed at the corpse, of course, but she can still imagine the answer.  
She smiles.  
It’s a sad smile.  
  
It’s only in a few hours, maybe days, that she decides she can’t stay anymore.  
The corpse is still laying on its bed.  
The bed is dead too. The blankets have turned to ash.  
Maybe she just can’t bear it.  
She knew what would happen if she let the girl live.  



	2. Thomas

He remembered the woman’s voice.  
He remembered becoming accustomed to humanity because she stayed.  
Then they had ripped him away from her, the primitive screen with the complex dreams and the project.  
He was left to rot as shiny blades poked and prodded and cut and tore.  
It was only when they grew bored that they decided to observe his behavior and mock his mental state.  
The woman was brought in. She had changed her name from Mary-Lou to Betty Jo.  
She had streaks of white in her hair and a trembling voice.  
He gave up.  
  
When they ‘released’ him, when he ignored the men staring at him from street corners, he attempted to send a message to his family.  
It was reckless.  
He didn’t care.  
  
When he stood at the roof of the building, the men watched but did not protest.  
What truly happened when you died?  
Even primitive humans sought the answer.  
He imagined red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers Thomas deciding to end his life after being released.  
> In the book, it is revealed that Antheans cannot see red, which is the reason for the last line.

**Author's Note:**

> The "girl" is Mary-Lou and Thomas's daughter.  
> Thomas, of course, does not know of her existence. Mary-Lou fears what would happen if the government were to find out about her daughter, and decides to kill her. I hope it was easy enough to understand and apologize if the formatting annoys you. This is my first fanfic, so I'll probably look back in a few years and cringe...lol.


End file.
